Archive for September, 2006

The After School Corporation outlines 15 examples of how site coordinators and staff are successfully engaging parents in their after school programs. Their report also contains sample materials that sites can use to improve parent involvement.

The Association for Children of New Jersey is asking 1st and 2nd graders around the state to draw their vision of the future – and then have parents tell us what their children need to reach that goal. Through this project, called Picture the Future, children will help shine attention on the needs of families during the January release of New Jersey Kids Count 2007.

We are trying to involve as many 1st and 2nd grade teachers as possible. Please forward this email to your 1st and 2nd grade colleagues (and your colleagues with children and grandchildren in 1st & 2nd grades!). For more information and an easy way to sign up, go to www.acnj.org.

Last year, 4th graders wrote essays about the needs of New Jersey’s children. Those essays were presented to Governor Jon Corzine during the release of New Jersey Kids Count 2006 – ACNJ’sannual snapshot of child well-being. That report – and the children’s moving essays — prompted Corzine to increase health insurance for low-income children.

Picture the Future is another exciting chance for children and parents to make a difference in the lives of all New Jersey children. Please consider participating.

Have you thought about conducting a workshop for your afterschool youth on …?

Six Steps to Smarter Studying

Follow these tips to prepare you youth now.

How did you learn how to ride your bike? Someone probably gave you a few lessons and then you practiced a lot. You can learn how to study in much the same way. No one is born knowing how to study. You need to learn a few study skills and then practice them.

Why work on your study skills? It will make it easier for you to learn and do well in class, especially as you move up to middle school and high school.

Here are six steps to smarter studying:

Pay attention in class.

Take good notes.

Plan ahead for tests and projects.

Break it down. (If you have a bunch of stuff to learn, break it into smaller chunks.)

Ask for help if you get stuck.

Get a good night’s sleep!

1. Pay Attention: Good Studying Starts in Class

Here’s a riddle for you: Did you know that before you even begin studying, you’ve already started? Huh? Here’s what we mean. When you pay attention in class and take good notes, you are starting the process of learning and studying.

Do you have trouble paying attention in class? Are you sitting next to a loud person? Is it hard to see the board? Make sure you’re sitting in a good seat that lets you pay attention. Tell your teacher or parents about any problems that are preventing you from paying attention and taking good notes.

2. Good Notes = Easier Studying

Not sure how to take notes? Start by writing down facts that your teacher mentions or writes on the board during class. Try your best to use good handwriting so you can read your notes later. It’s also a good idea to keep your notes, quizzes, and papers organized by subject.

3. Plan Ahead and You’ll Be Glad You Did

Waiting until Thursday night to study for Friday’s test will make for a homework night that’s no fun! It also makes it hard to do your best. We’re all guilty of putting things off sometimes. One of the best ways to make sure that doesn’t happen is to plan ahead.

Ask for a cool calendar (something you like and can keep by your desk or study area) and write down your test and assignment due dates. You can then plan how much to do after school each day, and how much time to spend on each topic. Are lessons or extracurricular activities making it hard to find time to study? Ask your mom or dad how to make a schedule of what to do when.

4. Break It Up!

When there’s a lot to study, it can help to break things into chunks. Let’s say you have a test on 20 spelling words. Instead of thinking about all of the words at once, try breaking them down into five-word chunks and working on one or two different chunks each night.

Don’t worry if you can’t remember something on the first try. That’s where practice comes in. The more days you spend reviewing something, the more likely it is to stick in your brain. There are also tricks called mnemonic (say: new-mah-nik) devices that can help you remember stuff. When you’re trying to memorize a list of things, make up a phrase that uses the first letter of each. For example, are you trying to learn the nine planets and their order from the sun? Think: My Very Earnest Mother Just Served Us Nine Pickles to remember Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Your teacher can give you ideas, too.

Another way to break it up is to study regularly instead of just the night before. You can always review your notes and read over the chapters you’re working on. Or, if you’re studying math or science, do some practice problems.

How much studying should you do each night? Your teacher can help you figure it out. Most brains can only pay attention for about 45 minutes. So if you’ve been working for a while and find it hard to pay attention, try taking a break for some water or a walk around the house. Just fight the temptation to turn on the TV or stop working!

5. Lose the Confusion — Ask for Help

You can’t study effectively if you don’t understand the material. Be sure to ask your teacher for help if you’re confused about something. You can check yourself by reading through your notes. Does it all make sense? If not, ask your teacher to go over it with you. If you’re at home when the confusion occurs, your mom or dad might be able to help.

6. Sleep Tight!

So the test is tomorrow and you’ve followed your study plan — but suddenly you can’t remember anything, not even 2+2! Don’t panic. Your brain needs time to digest all the information you’ve given it. Try to get a good night’s sleep and you’ll be surprised by what comes back to you in the morning.

Have you thought about conducting a workshop for your afterschool youth on …?

Six Steps to Smarter Studying

Follow these tips to prepare you youth now.

How did you learn how to ride your bike? Someone probably gave you a few lessons and then you practiced a lot. You can learn how to study in much the same way. No one is born knowing how to study. You need to learn a few study skills and then practice them.

Why work on your study skills? It will make it easier for you to learn and do well in class, especially as you move up to middle school and high school.

Here are six steps to smarter studying:

Pay attention in class.

Take good notes.

Plan ahead for tests and projects.

Break it down. (If you have a bunch of stuff to learn, break it into smaller chunks.)

Ask for help if you get stuck.

Get a good night’s sleep!

1. Pay Attention: Good Studying Starts in Class

Here’s a riddle for you: Did you know that before you even begin studying, you’ve already started? Huh? Here’s what we mean. When you pay attention in class and take good notes, you are starting the process of learning and studying.

Do you have trouble paying attention in class? Are you sitting next to a loud person? Is it hard to see the board? Make sure you’re sitting in a good seat that lets you pay attention. Tell your teacher or parents about any problems that are preventing you from paying attention and taking good notes.

2. Good Notes = Easier Studying

Not sure how to take notes? Start by writing down facts that your teacher mentions or writes on the board during class. Try your best to use good handwriting so you can read your notes later. It’s also a good idea to keep your notes, quizzes, and papers organized by subject.

3. Plan Ahead and You’ll Be Glad You Did

Waiting until Thursday night to study for Friday’s test will make for a homework night that’s no fun! It also makes it hard to do your best. We’re all guilty of putting things off sometimes. One of the best ways to make sure that doesn’t happen is to plan ahead.

Ask for a cool calendar (something you like and can keep by your desk or study area) and write down your test and assignment due dates. You can then plan how much to do after school each day, and how much time to spend on each topic. Are lessons or extracurricular activities making it hard to find time to study? Ask your mom or dad how to make a schedule of what to do when.

4. Break It Up!

When there’s a lot to study, it can help to break things into chunks. Let’s say you have a test on 20 spelling words. Instead of thinking about all of the words at once, try breaking them down into five-word chunks and working on one or two different chunks each night.

Don’t worry if you can’t remember something on the first try. That’s where practice comes in. The more days you spend reviewing something, the more likely it is to stick in your brain. There are also tricks called mnemonic (say: new-mah-nik) devices that can help you remember stuff. When you’re trying to memorize a list of things, make up a phrase that uses the first letter of each. For example, are you trying to learn the nine planets and their order from the sun? Think: My Very Earnest Mother Just Served Us Nine Pickles to remember Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Your teacher can give you ideas, too.

Another way to break it up is to study regularly instead of just the night before. You can always review your notes and read over the chapters you’re working on. Or, if you’re studying math or science, do some practice problems.

How much studying should you do each night? Your teacher can help you figure it out. Most brains can only pay attention for about 45 minutes. So if you’ve been working for a while and find it hard to pay attention, try taking a break for some water or a walk around the house. Just fight the temptation to turn on the TV or stop working!

5. Lose the Confusion — Ask for Help

You can’t study effectively if you don’t understand the material. Be sure to ask your teacher for help if you’re confused about something. You can check yourself by reading through your notes. Does it all make sense? If not, ask your teacher to go over it with you. If you’re at home when the confusion occurs, your mom or dad might be able to help.

6. Sleep Tight!

So the test is tomorrow and you’ve followed your study plan — but suddenly you can’t remember anything, not even 2+2! Don’t panic. Your brain needs time to digest all the information you’ve given it. Try to get a good night’s sleep and you’ll be surprised by what comes back to you in the morning.

AMERIGROUP New Jersey operates with a mission to be a community-focused managed care company, with an emphasis on the public sector health care market.

We provide a variety of free, well-established Health Education Workshops offered to parents and children. The workshops can be conducted in English and Spanish, and can be scheduled during the week or weekends, and during the day, afternoons or evenings.

Utilized as workshop support, or stand-alone materials, we also offer our free “AmeriTips”. These are easy-to-read, single-page informational sheets designed to give the reader useful information on over 130 health, prevention, medical and parenting topics. One side is English and the other side is printed in Spanish. We also have a new Community Outreach Vehicle, in the form of an RV, which can operate as a center for free health education counseling, perform basic health screenings, enroll parents in need of NJ FamilyCare. This vehicle can be on-hand for health fairs, workshops, parent nights, etc.

Our targeted communities that we serve are:

Asbury Park (Monmouth County)

Brick (Ocean County

Carteret (Middlesex County)

Elizabeth (Union County)

Hackensack, Englewood (Bergen County)

Jersey City (Hudson County)

Lakewood, (Ocean County)

New Brunswick (Middlesex County)

Perth Amboy (Middlesex County)

Plainfield (Union County)

Toms River (Ocean County)

Belleville (Essex County)

East Orange (Essex County)

Irvington (Essex County)

Montclair (Essex County)

Newark (Essex County)

FYI/ASTHMA AND KIDS

With a new school year here, children will be filling their free time with fun physical activities. Unfortunately, many will have a difficult time enjoying these activities because they suffer from asthma, a chronic disease that causes breathing problems. These symptoms could indicate a child has asthma and should see his or her doctor:

A cough lasting more than a week.

Wheezing or whistling when breathing

Chest tightness

Shortness of breath

The American Lung Association says an asthma attack occurs when extra mucus clogs air tubes,making them swell and tighten. The air tubes narrow, making it harder to breathe. Asthma medicine should provide relief.

But in the case of a severe attack, the child may — become breathless, have trouble talking, feel their neck stiffen, see their lips and fingernails become grayish, or bluish in color. In case of a severe attack, give your child his or her asthma medicine, and get emergency help immediately. Following a doctor’s advice about taking asthma medication may help prevent asthma attacks. Learning what triggers attacks can help prevent them, too. For example, taking asthma medication before physical activity, playing sports for shorter periods of time or substituting walking for jogging may help. Common-sense changes can allow children to do the things they enjoy, while remaining healthy. These health tips are brought to you by AMERIGROUP, wishing a healthy and fun fall season for you and your family.